Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore – Hotel Review

This is one fine staycation in Singapore where you can spoil yourself rotten.

Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore is a modern hotel concept that prides itself on its personalised services, addressing themselves as a single entity, Jen, as if she were your personal butler.

Situated right in the heart of central Singapore and adjacent to shopping mall 313@Somerset, there is even an underground linked walkway direct from Somerset MRT to the hotel, so wet weather is never an issue.

Checking in to Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore

I initially thought all check in receptions are at the entrances of hotels, until I entered Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore.

The check in counter is actually on the 10th floor, together with their restaurant and lounge. Check in was swift, and (not 2 but) 3 access cards to our room were provided.

Check-in timing is from 2pm and check-out is by 12pm.

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Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore’s Room

Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore has room categories spanning 7 types:

• Superior Room
• Superior Cityview Room
• Deluxe Room
• Deluxe Family Room
• Club Room
• Club Deluxe Room
• Panorama Club Room

Prices start from SGD213 to SGD383.

Check prices on HotelsCombined, Agoda and Booking.com

This Singapore staycation came as a surprise for WL, who was kept in the dark until he opened his eyes to our Club Room on the 18th floor. 😀 I think I pulled off the staycation surprise pretty well!

Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore’s rooms are donned in warm colours – beige, orange and off white.

Apart from the spruced, fluffy king-sized bed, the highlight of the room would be the window ledge that overlooks Orchard Central and beyond.

The full-length window allows for plenty of light in the room, making my staycay mornings as bright as my cheerful mood.

It’s a nice gesture for Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore to provide universal plugs in every room – these would come in handy for absent-minded international millennials, regardless of whether you’re on a staycation in Singapore or a holiday!

We also found fruit salads and colourful biscuits (the kind we Singaporeans used to eat when we were young) provided complimentary to us. It’s these little touches that Jen injects to remind guests of our Singaporean roots. 🙂

While most hotels provide 2 bottles of water, Hotel Jen provided us with 4! I suppose that would help with acclimatising to Singapore’s humid weather. This is proving to be one of the best staycations I’ve had in Singapore.

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International television channels are available for your in-room entertainment in case you decided to stay in bed all day (after all, isn’t that what a staycation is for?), as well as reading lights and bedside lamps.

The bathroom and toilet are enclosed in glass cubicles in a humble space, with a shower head equipped in the bathroom.

The room isn’t soundproof to your neighbour’s doorbell though, which we awoke to the next morning.

Prices start from SGD247 on Agoda and Booking.com.

Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore’s Amenities

The 25-metre-long infinity pool is located on the second highest level, at Baywatch@Jen, giving a bird’s eye view of the surrounding Singapore buildings.

The pool deck is my favourite feature of Hotel Jen. It’s got fun-shaped chairs and private cabanas decked in orange and green to suit every purpose – whether you want to get some work done while overlooking the city skyline, sun tan or chill with friends.

It sounds like just the perfect spot for anybody wanting to spend a weekend staycay in Singapore – a great place to unwind, bask in the sun, and watch the city by twilight.

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The deck also offers a view of Marina Bay Sands, but it’s a pity that the neighbouring Singtel building stood out like a sore thumb from the view by the pool.

Well, that can’t be helped, when you’re living within a prime location in land-scarce Singapore. Nonetheless, that didn’t affect our plans to get some colour on our skins. 🙂

The 24-hour gym was equipped with basic machine weights, with a good mix of cardio machines and free weights. We were up here at midnight to work some sweat out, since we were restless for failing to catch a midnight movie in town.

Jen’s team was also kind enough to offer us access to the club lounge on the same floor, at level 19. With access to the club lounge, we had free reign to chill by the plush sofas which overlook the cityscape.

Read: 7 Best Family-Friendly Activities In Singapore

At the club lounge, you can enjoy afternoon tea and evening cocktails. Complimentary afternoon tea is served from 12pm to 5pm, while alcohol and cold cuts are available from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Not bad for a staycation aye?

We were in time for the Evening Cocktail session, and was delighted at the variety of food and alcohol served. Their Masala chicken and yam dumpling were particularly noteworthy, and we had a good time sampling the various types of cheeses.

A buffet breakfast is also available at the club lounge, should you opt for a more intimate setting rather than at their Makan@Jen restaurant.

Flea markets are sometimes held at their open space outside their restaurant on Sundays. If you’re lucky to here on your staycation like we were, you can do some shopping of handcraft items and organic food at the hotel premise.

Meeting rooms are also available upon request, with both formal and informal seating options available.

Grab and go snacks are also available at the reception if you are pressed for time.

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Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore’s Services

Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore even has their own specially curated section on where to go after dark. This includes popular tourist spots like Clarke Quay, favourite local hangouts and cafes, as well as personal recommendations from the Jen team!

Vending machines are placed at every level for you to satisfy that midnight snack craving but don’t want to go too far for it.

Charging stations are also available at the club lounge and at the entrance of the restaurant, Makan@Jen.

Dining at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore

Seafood Dinner Buffet

We did our best to save as much space in our tummy as we could, knowing we had a Seafood Dinner buffet in store for us on this particular staycation. Coincidentally, it was the night of Earth Hour, so lights in the restaurant were dimmed from 8.30pm to 9.30pm that night, and we had an unexpected candlelight dinner moment. 🙂

I won’t even begin to name ALL the dishes that they serve, but if you want a peek into what the Seafood Dinner buffet includes, here’s their full menu.

The buffet lived up to its name, serving huge chunks of lobster and crab meat.

Be prepared to indulge with all your 10 fingers. If you’ve been wanting to gnaw at anyone, this is the perfect opportunity to unleash your fury, cracking at the thick, solid shells of these crustaceans.

Mussels, clams and prawns were also served in generous portions. The only thing missing were oysters to complete my seafood spree.

Colourful Ice Kachang station

It was an international selection with local dishes infused. Hotel Jen’s attempt to infuse local fare is apparent, with familiar dishes such as satay, man tou (bun) in chilli crab sauce, nonya kueh and ice kachang, among others.

I was slightly disappointed by their seafood paella – the spice aroma wasn’t brought out and the dish felt too moist.

Seafood paella

There was also a live station cooking laksa, and a DIY station to mix your rojak up on your own. I wished the DIY rojak station was a live station though, since every time I passed the rojak, my hands were too busy balancing my half-filled plate of food to bother making rojak on my own.

Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore’s Seafood Buffet dinner is available every Friday and Saturday, from 6.30pm to 10pm, at SGD65 per pax.

Buffet Breakfast

Likewise, Makan@Jen’s buffet breakfast serves a smorgasbord of food, from local delights such as buns and porridge, to western-style breakfast and even comfort food like cornflakes. There is also a live station for you to have your eggs done just the way you like it!

Nothing like waking up from a staycation with a spread of breakfast choices. 🙂

Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore’s buffet breakfast starts from 6.30am to 10am on weekdays and extended to 11am on weekends.

Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore’s Location

Hotel Jen is a perfect spot for business travellers and shopaholics alike. It being conveniently on Singapore’s shopping street, Orchard Road, means easy access to all the major malls along Orchard Road. There are also 3 movie theatres within walking distance – Cathay Cineleisure, Shaw Lido and The Cathay. No more qualms about watching midnight movies!

It’s the little touches of generosity that enhanced our entire Singapore staycation experience at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore, like providing extra room access cards, a welcome fruit salad and extended check out timing.

This gave us plenty of time to explore the hotel premise, and it was probably the only time I’ve spent such a long time hanging out in a hotel during a staycation! With bicycles provided for you to roam the city, it’s perfect for overseas visitors with a need for convenience.

Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore
277 Orchard Road, 238858, Singapore
hjog@hoteljen.com

Special thanks to Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore for making this stay possible! All opinions remain my own.